Pasta Caprese

So I am realizing I need some more colorful dishes to really make these pictures look as good as the food tastes, but alas, last night's fresh summer pasta came out great. This is from my head so the recipe is not an exact science- just the best of summer ingredients thrown together for a light dinner.

Pasta Caprese
6-8 small tomatoes (I used these very tasty "Flavorino" tomatoes)
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
2-3 cloves garlic, minced (optional, but I LOVE garlic)
bunch basil
olive oil
salt and pepper
Thin Pasta (use whole box if you want leftovers)




1. Chop tomatoes and place in bowl with juices. Add mozzarella, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Let sit while you cook the pasta (the longer the better).
2. Cook pasta al dente.
3. Add basil to tomato mixture, stir and check seasoning.
4. Toss tomatoes with hot pasta and serve.
Note: I didn't want to murder my basil plant, so in addition to the leaves I plucked I tossed in a frozen cube of pesto I made last week.

Argentinian Empanadas

These are savory-sweet pastries that are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This is a vegetarian version of the usual meat-filled South American pastries, from "Vegetarian Main Dishes from Around the World."

1/2 lb. frozen flaky pastry, thawed (phyllo is what I used this time but it's hard to work with)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 T. chives, chopped
1 pear, finely sliced
2 peaches, finely sliced
1/2 C. red lentils, cooked
1 T. sugar
1/4 C. dry white wine (optional)
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 T. margarine
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven 400. Heat margarine and fry onion until soft. Add tomatoes, pepper and chives and cook about 5 min.
2. Add pear, peaches and lentils and mix well. Sprinkle some sugar and pour wine to taste. Add cinnamon then season.
3. Roll out pastry and make circles about 4 in. diameter (you can use a bowl and trace around it).
4. Put some filling on half of circle, then moisten edges with water. Fold over and press together with fork. Poke a few holes to let steam escape. (I also brush pastry with a little melted butter).
5. Fill all empanadas and bake on tray for about 20 minutes until pastry is puffed up and golden.

I served with a green salad and homemade guacamole and chips.

Dal with Cucumber Raita and Banana

This is an easy and filling dinner. I made it on the spicy side since I made the Raita, and doubled this recipe to freeze some for later (don't freeze Raita). This is adapted from "Vegetarian Main Dishes from Around the World."

1 C. red lentils
2 small potatoes, diced
2 T. oil
1 large onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 t. ground cumin (or to taste)
1 t. ground turmeric ("")
1 t. madras (hot curry powder- I used regular and cayenne pepper)
2 t. ground ginger

1 can chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper
To Serve: 1 sliced banana, mango chutney, cucumber Raita

1. Cook lentils and potatoes in boiling water 10-20 minutes or until soft, drain.
2. Heat oil in pan and add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Cook until soft, then add spiced. Continue to cook for a 1-2 minutes before adding tomatoes.
3. Let mixture cook for a further minute or so, then add lentils and potatoes. Simmer gently for 5-10 minutes and check seasoning. Serve with rice or nan and side dishes.

For the Raita I had made falafel the night before so I used a tzatziki dip and added chopped cilantro, plain Greek yogurt, a dash of cumin and pepper, lemon juice and diced cucumbers.